


As Long As You’re the Driver

by daintylemonsquare



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 07:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daintylemonsquare/pseuds/daintylemonsquare
Summary: AU where Logan took Julian to that concert instead of Blaine





	As Long As You’re the Driver

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any grammatical errors. This is literally on a whim. Also, I know I promised I'd stop writing fanfiction for a while but I need to get back into the YA kick.

 

Julian tried not to be smug when Logan stormed into his room, slammed the tickets into his desk, and pouted. His face was red, whether of embarrassment or exasperation, Julian wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was the way Logan’s blazer bunched around his biceps as he crossed his arms. He tapped the eraser of his pencil on his lip, humming. Logan huffed in response.

“Miraculous,” Julian breathed with mock reverence. “The Knave didn’t start blaming the world when the White Rabbit turned him down.”

Logan slammed his fist into the wood. Julian closed his eyes, his body rigid with a flinch that he kept hidden. Any harder, it would’ve creaked. He snorted. “And there he blows.”

“Do you think this is funny?” Logan glared at him. Julian arched both of his brows, his face a practiced blank. “I followed your stupid advice and where did it get me? Nowhere! That’s where!” One fleck of spit hit Julian’s chin. He sneered as he wiped it off.

“Yes, Lo. I find the fact that you’re taking your frustrated fixations out on the entire Stuart house absolutely hilarious. I’m dying of laughter. My abs are getting more defined because of how much I am laughing.” Logan grabbed Julian shoulder and shoved him. Had Julian not dug both his hands into Logan’s arm, he would’ve fallen over and his hair would actually become messy instead of being purposefully messy. “Logan! If I get a concussion before I finish memorizing this script my agent sent me, I’m going to burn your piano and mix the ashes into your coffee, pretending it’s sugar.”

Logan grunted, yanked his arm away. “Oh fuck you! Whatever! I don’t need this. I can figure this out on my own. I don’t need your help or Derek’s.” He started stomping away.

Julian scoffed. “It’s not my fault the guy you like doesn’t have good taste in artists.

Logan whirled around. “Don’t talk about him like that!”

“Like what, Lo?” Julian felt his throat twist at how fast Logan jumped feet-first into Blaine’s defense. He didn’t know Blaine other than he sang well and that he was from Windsor. It was nothing to go about but he was the one Logan was defending. Meanwhile, Julian—Julian, who tried to shut him up and help him get this boy’s attention, Julian who flew from Japan to New York and back for his birthday, Julian who he’d known since freshman year—was the one Logan was yelling at. “You don’t know him like that. Don’t pretend that you do just because you want to eat his face.” Julian was used to ignoring glares. Glares from the hot Hollywood lots. Glares from the paparazzi cameras. Glares from a certain boy who didn’t know how he felt whenever they fought because of yet another boy.

“You don’t know him like that either.” Julian could hear his teeth grinding together as he shoved those words out.

“Nice comeback. I’m trembling. I have lost the debate. Whatever shall I do?” Julian knew the dramatic lilt of his voice towards the end was going to set Logan off but he couldn’t help himself. Before Logan could do or say anything that would light the room, and their friendship, on fire, Julian added, “I know I don’t know him like that, which is why I made the assumption. Like you said,” he snatched the tickets and waved them around without looking at Logan, “these have been sold out for eight weeks. Anyone who doesn’t want to go is an idiot, even if they have to be stuck with you.”

Julian didn’t watch Logan leave and didn’t care if he slammed the door hard enough that his fingers twitched into a flinch he was getting better at fighting off. He pursed his lips and tossed the tickets into a drawer. His anger flared, and for a moment he forgot the real reason why he got the tickets in the first place. He didn’t plan for them to return to his possession, though he didn’t plan on Logan giving them back in such an infuriating state.

He tried not to feel a sense of satisfaction as his anger flickered to the back of his mind. Tried and failed. Logan wasn’t ever going to pay attention to him, and a certain area of his heart ached at the fact, but at least, for a little bit longer, he wouldn’t have to see Logan belong to someone else in such a grotesque, saccharine way.

* * *

 

The next morning Julian arrived to the Stuart kitchen surprised to see Logan sitting by an extra mug of coffee. He wondered if anything had happened with him and Blaine between his dramatic exit from Julian’s room to Julian’s unkempt entrance. Before Julian could comment on that heinous possibility, Logan turned to his footsteps.

“Morning,” he grumbled. His hair was still went from the shower. His green eyes were lined with restless shadows. They flickered to the mug and then back to Julian. Julian couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wake up one morning and he’d come down to the same scene, except they’d share a chaste kiss before he took the stool beside him.

His heart rose then dunked itself down. Back to reality.

Julian inclined his head in response, sat beside his friend, and took the coffee. It was still warm. “I heard you muttering in your room. I figured you’d be down soon.”

“Thanks for being considerate enough not to be a bitch so early in the morning like you usually are.” Julian sipped his coffee. Just the way he liked it. As much as it delighted him, he despaired over how well Logan knew his coffee calibration. It made those frivolous fantasies of his more vivid and he’d much rather them be far from his reach than them being close enough for him to brush his fingers against it but never being able to claim it.

Logan scowled but sipped his coffee. “Can’t say the same for you.”

“You’re welcome.” The scowl deepened but they weren’t caffeinated enough for it to escalate. Maybe later.

They sat in silence. One, two, three Stuarts had appeared while they sat there beside one another. They exchanged one comment about where Derek was and why he wasn’t there. Some girl again. Or maybe another all-nighter for their advanced algebra homework behemoth. They never bothered to check on him.

Julian finished his coffee before Logan, and moved to put it in the sink. Before he got too far, and before he decided he was going to clean it later instead of now, Logan asked, “Who were you going to take to that concert?”

It caught him off-guard but he didn’t let it show. Too many years in front of an audience for him to slip. “Whoever.” He shrugged. “I got two instead of one, so it’s up for grabs, really.” It wasn’t a lie. It was a script he’d prepared once upon a time when he chickened out of his original plan eight weeks ago. It wasn’t lying if it was acting. “Why?”

“When’s the concert again?”

“This weekend.”

“Do you still want to go?”

Julian almost dropped his mug but he was a good actor. He fastened his smirk and tossed it over his shoulder. “Are you asking me out, Lo?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “And have to grow a vagina? You’d only be so lucky.”

There was that passing ache again. Right there, just above his diaphragm, and a straight line following the sternum. The smirk remained in place. “You better buy me dinner since I’m the one who got the concert tickets.”

“Go fuck yourself and die.”

“Your way of words rival the great romance poets.”

Logan chortled as he got off his stool and finished his coffee. “Since I’m not doing anything this weekend anyway, might as well go to that concert.”

“What makes you think I’ll be giving those tickets back to you when you so rudely returned them to me?” Julian couldn’t help himself. The smirk was still plastered on his face. His role was still keeping that ache at ease. Logan’s eyes were getting more awake and that meant his anger was up and at ‘em too.

“Fine,” Logan snapped. “Go galavant like Derek is with that girl he’s with. The hell I care what you do with those tickets.” He tossed the mug into the sink. Julian didn’t flinch.

* * *

 

Julian left one ticket in Logan’s room before Friday ended. He’d gone to the drama club meeting that day so he wouldn’t have to hear Logan complain about how Blaine was still avoiding him despite being hit by the affectionate storm he’d been brewing. Julian would much rather listen to Dalton’s amateur actors prattle about for an hour. Within the script he was holding, already memorized and he was waiting for one of the members to go over his motivations so Julian could practice his audition, was the second ticket.

He could’ve given both to Logan, another chance at convincing Blaine to that date, but he chose not to help this time around. If Blaine wasn’t going to take the bait, then he might as well at least watch it by himself. He actually did want to go to this concert. He preferred to have a certain companion, but it was what it was.

In a way, it was a beacon of hope. Hope that Logan would join him. Hope that Logan would notice him. Hope that Logan wouldn’t rip the ticket to shreds out of another fit. He hated that it had become a symbol. He hated the fluttering images it conjured.

The boy in front of him finally looked up from his script and opened his mouth. Julian acted like it was going to be worth his time and effort. That was when his phone buzzed. He raised his finger, silencing the boy.

 _Dinner out or order in before the concert?_ Logan asked.

He eased a practiced smile on his face. Not too wide. Not unless he wanted everyone to know that he had feelings. _Out_ , he replied

* * *

 

As they reached their seats—orchestra, upper level, corner, right-hand side of the stage (front row would’ve been too conspicuous)—Logan asked if Julian had met the artist before, and was how he got the tickets.

“No. I have minions who will move heaven and hell for me,” Julian said with a dismissive raise of a shoulder.

“She’s pretty,” Logan said when her face flashed across the screens. The fans shrieked like it was the real thing.

“Yeah.” Julian wondered if Logan had meant to say “dated” instead of “met” the artist. This made his tongue tingle with a secret he wasn’t ready to come out with. They sat and Julian stared at Logan’s profile, lit with purples, blues, and golds emanating from the stage. The gold caught his green and Julian’s lungs couldn’t quite handle it for a second. “She’s a couple of years older than me though. I don’t think she’d go for it. She’s always mentioned she prefers older men.”

“Can’t hurt until you try.” Logan grinned. Julian wanted to punch him just so he wouldn’t have to feel that kind of ache again.

“You’re spending too much time around Derek,” Julian threw back, forcing himself to pay attention to the stage.

“You’re never around. It’s not like you give me much of a choice.” Logan chuckled and sipped on his lemonade.

“Shut up. The show’s starting.”

* * *

 

“Wow. You’re such a beautiful, rambunctious crowd!” Logan and Julian joined the cheers. They weren’t into pop music that much but her raw vocals and her soulful renditions of her pop bangers would turn any hater into a begrudging fan. She was much better live. More charismatic. They didn’t typically dance during concerts but she had the whole arena on its feet.  “Thank you! From the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much for enjoying my little show.”

“Bullshit!” Logan yelled into Julian’s ear to be heard. “The fake modesty is kinda killing the vibe!”

Julian laughed. He ignored how close Logan’s lips were to his cheek. “Calling this a ‘little show’ is too much but you have to admit she seems sincere!”

“I can’t wait for you to meet her and tell me how much of pompous monster she actually is!” Logan nudged their elbows together. Julian just shook his head to the ceiling.

“Now, you know what a crowd like you deserves?” She asked. “A new song!” And the crowd went crazy. Julian swore he felt their platform wobble. He’d been to Haven concerts before this but he was usually backstage. This crowd was ready to eat it all up.

The singer laughed, basked in the excitement, and nodded. She raised her hands. “Alright! Alright! This is going to be a slow one and I’m off of my next album. Kinda testing it out but I’m real proud of it. I hope you don’t mind.” The crowd was eager to let her know how much they didn’t mind, and that included Logan and Julian.

She talked to the band she was touring with. A stool was brought on stage. She drank some water, she put her mic on the stand, and raised her hands again to calm the noise. “Okay. Here it goes…” The first chords were struck by her guitarist, followed by her bass. “Now...who here have been in love with someone too fast and too furious?” The crowd whooped but Julian felt the air around them tense.

Logan’s jaw was set as he leaned towards the railing. More than one chord was struck. Julian kept watching. “I figured,” the singer continued. “Sometimes, it’s with someone you hardly know. Or someone you think you know but in the end...you don’t really. This song is one of the more personal parts of my next album. It’s all about searching for that person, then following that person even though you don’t know where they’ll take you. It’s about trust. Stupid trust. Blind trust. A kind of trust that the heart dispenses without your conscious consent. It’s scary, heady, and irrational, but it’s also exhilarating. You’ll crave it. You’ll hope that it’ll lead to somewhere secure…Somewhere more...This is _Hitchhiker_.” Her words settled. She began to sing.

Logan wasn’t paying attention to Julian, but to the song and Blaine, who was supposed to be sitting by him. Julian was paying attention to the song and to Logan. They were both transfixed by their own scenarios that fit the song. Julian’s mouth turned, picturing the sappy look Logan was going to give Blaine if he were here. His dinner bubbled, realizing that Logan was going to sing this song in the next Warbler meeting and Blaine was going to melt. This wasn’t a song he could find online, but he was adept enough to get the gist of it by the time they got home. He might even ask Julian to help him remember the words. Already, Logan was mouthing the second chorus.

He also thought of singing to Logan himself. That was a more palatable thought, if only for this one moment. This one purple, blue, gold, and green moment, this was their song and no stupid Warbler could take it away from him.

Logan turned before Julian could look away. His eyebrows rose with a question. Julian waggled his head to the slow beat. “I like this song,” he said.

“Me too,” Logan replied. They shared a smile. There was that ache again but he wasn’t going to ignore it this time. Mixed with this songs vibrations, it was just another chord to be struck.

“ _I’ve been waiting all night, looking for your headlights. I know that we’re strangers,_ ” the singer raised her mic to the crowd at the last chorus.

“ _But I’ll leave it all for you_ ,” the crowd, Julian, and Logan, sang it back.

* * *

 

They kept singing it all the way home, praising the command the singer had with the crowd. It was such a shining moment, connecting them all. They sang other songs. Julian had a playlist of her music in his phone. They went over their favorites, debating on which songs should’ve been singles, shouldn’t have been singles. They conspired to hide the shirts they bought in a momentary high. Derek wouldn’t never let them hear the end of it.

Logan reached the school parking lot and cut the engine. They both sat, looking at their campus, listening to the silence, and wishing they weren’t here. The buzz of the live performance and the crowd lingered on their skin.

“Thanks,” Logan started, “for the ticket.”

Julian didn’t have to fasten the smile or plaster it on. It came on its own as he leaned into his door and aimed it at Logan. “No prob.”

Logan turned his head to Julian. It was only a lamp, yellow and unflattering. And yet Logan wasn’t affected. The yellow turned to gold and the shadows accentuated all his angles. Sharp as they seemed, Julian wanted to reach out and touch. He kept his hands to himself, knowing this wasn’t going anywhere farther than here.

“I don’t want this night to end. Tomorrow’s just gonna suck.” Logan leaned into his seat.

“Post-Concert Depression is no joke,” Julian agreed. “Do you...Do you just want to walk around the campus for a while? Breathe in the night and let it go on for longer?” This night was going to end, but he wasn’t going to deny himself the ability to prolong it. This was an indulgence. Most of the time, he’d run off, compartmentalize, ignore it. But just this once. Just this moment. One night.

Logan nodded. “Why not?”

They walked around the campus. All of their words had been spent in the drive, the dinner, the concert, and what happened after the concert. They were shoulder to shoulder. It was chilly but not enough for their breath to fog. Chilly enough for time to slow. The night sky seemed endless therefore they had all the time to bask in the remnants of the concert.

As they made the final lap towards Stuart house, when their bodies began to go weary, and their conversation had finally, officially run dry, Logan began to hum. It took Julian seconds to place melody.

Julian sang. He had a pretty good memory but there were parts that lacked. Moments where they stumbled and laughed. Logan rehummed and Julian made up some lyrics. They sang the chorus together. Julian didn’t think about who Logan was singing it to. This moment was his. No one could take this moment away. Another one would appear the next day, toward that other person Logan had his eyes fixated on. Tonight, however, Logan was looking at him. Not that it meant anything, but Julian took what he could have.

They played around with the harmony. Logan took the high notes and the ad libs the singer had tossed into the final chorus. It was perfect music, even if they were half jokes.

They sang the last chorus together, since it was the only part of the song they can both agree on without pointing out a mistake and then teasing each other about it.

“ _Go anywhere you wanna go, I don’t really need to know if my heart is in danger._ ” They sang it softly. They weren’t drunks coming home from the bar at two in the morning. They were teenagers, reliving a concert they didn’t want to let go of, with a song they wouldn’t be able to hear until the singer released the album. “ _Cause as long as you’re the driver I’m your hitchhiker._ ”

He didn’t want this to end but as their house grew closer, he had no choice. When they went to their rooms, Julian was going to take his fluttering heart, set it aside, and let it calm down. Tomorrow, there was no place for it in his chest.

 

* * *

 

Most of Stuart was in their rooms. They were studying or passed out or shaking with over caffeination. Julian and Logan breezed by all of them and up to the hallway where their rooms sat near one another. When Julian turned to his room, Logan’s hand circle his wrist and tug him towards his room.

“Hey, excuse me. I’m not a dog on a leash.” There was no real heat behind it, though his eyes were narrowed.

Logan rolled his eyes. “We should do a cover. Just for posterity.”

Julian let out a wet scoff. “Please. You just want to practice your duet with Blaine.”

“Can you not be a total prick right now, Jules?” Now there was heat behind that. Julian, unwilling to soil this night that was his, was at an impasse. Sing the duet that was inevitably going to someone else or piss Logan off, which would piss him off, and ruin this night for the both of them.

He sighed, deciding only one person’s night was going to be ruined. “Okay.” He followed Logan into his room, to his piano. Logan set up his laptop and microphone. He played with the keys a few times but they’d figured it out while they walked around campus. If not, Logan could figure out a good way to cut the best parts together.

“We should write down the lyrics.” Logan scrambled for some paper and pens. “Before we forget and mess up and laugh. And we could figure out which parts to sing.”

“Sure.”

And they worked as any efficient Stuart would. They set it up in ten minutes. Figured out verses and harmonies. They were to join each other at the chorus.

Logan was starting, “ _I can’t explain what’s going on. Something happened when you came along…_ ” He turned to Julian who was meant to sing the harmony in the next two lines. Julian refused to imagine Blaine taking his part. Not right now. Not until he hears it himself.

He poured his feelings into this cover. Later on, he planned on saying he was acting, if Logan commented on how much he was investing into this song. He practiced it in between pauses, while Logan redid another line or rearranged the chords from memory. He let it out in a song they just heard from a concert they’d just been. A random song for a random night after a random sold out concert. Nothing more.

They didn’t go for the same high notes the singer did in the concert and opted for a more subtle harmonization at the last chorus. Logan’s voice lit a spark in Julian’s every nerve. Each of them burned, warm and cozy and still dangerous if left unchecked. As their voices blended, these fires found each other and it made his shoulders go warm and his teeth tingle. He watched Logan’s fingers reach the perfect keys and Julian kept himself from placing his own on top of one when they reached the end of the song.

Julian was breathless but he tried not to show it. Logan reached over to stop the recording, his shoulder brushing against Julian’s chest. His cologne was a gift Julian had given one Christmas ago. “That was great,” Logan said. Their eyes met. They were shoulder to shoulder. Logan’s hand was right by Julian’s left thigh. Julian licked his parted lips and closed them. “If this won’t catch that pop star’s attention, then she’s deaf.”

It was a joke. That didn’t stop Julian from leaning forward and saying, “It’s not her attention that I want.”

Logan’s brows furrowed. A soft smile danced on Julian’s lips and he let a few fingers trail over the back of Logan’s hand before reaching for his shoes and coat. The fires roared underneath his skin. Before he could overthink it, he stood and turned to the door. Before closing it behind him, he faced Logan. He was looking at his hand, still in the same place on the piano bench. Then his attention snapped at Julian. Confused still but it was coming together on his face.

“Jules?” The way he said it caused the world around him to tilt slightly to the left.

“Goodnight, Logan.”

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Song is Hitchhiker by Demi Lovato


End file.
